Drabbling in a playlist challenge
by Gabiroba
Summary: Response to LaughingLadybug's 'Past and Present Playlist Challenge' found in the Agents of SHIELD Idea Factory forum. All stories will be stand-alone. Each story individually specified for ship or main characters. Songs used will all come from the suggested playlist.
1. I Come Back To Haunt You (Philinda)

**I Come Back To Haunt You  
><strong>(Philinda)

"Haunt" By: Bastille

We'll make our agreements,  
>About when to meet,<br>And I'll leave you in the doorway,  
>The cold evening aches,<br>As it leaves in its wake,  
>All the memories left by the day,<br>And I'm questioning why,  
>As you look to the sky,<br>That it's cloudless up above our heads,  
>And thoughts come to mind,<br>that our short little lives,  
>Haven't left the path that they will tread,<br>They will tread

Melinda May looked at Phil Coulson as he drove through the winding roads of the California coastline. They were running with nowhere to go. It had been a foolish idea, thinking that just because they had managed to escape for the week they would be able to escape for life. They wouldn't last; she wouldn't last.

When they came to the hotel all she had to do was look at him and he knew the thoughts that were going through her mind. It was as if he could see into her very soul. He was the only one.

Night had fallen by the time she made her way out of the room. Their goodbye had been bittersweet and over-extended, but there had been finality to it. There wouldn't be a tomorrow for this thing they had been playing with for so long. There wouldn't be any do-overs or making up. What once was had been and was gone.

Their paths would cross again countless times, of that they were both sure. But the late night cuddles in front of the fire were finished. There would be no more secret hospital visits when one of them got injured in the field. Both would be going home to their own beds each night and wouldn't be hiding anything, related to each other, from the organization any longer.

She drove into a rest stop and looked up. For all the dark emotions going through her at the moment, the night was just too beautiful. How could it be? This was how it was supposed to be.

I come back to haunt you,  
>Memories will taunt you,<br>And I will try to love you,  
>It's not like I'm above you,<p>

Never having been very in tune with her feminine side, Melinda failed to notice her missed periods for two months. By the time she got around to seeing a doctor it was already too late. She was pregnant, and there was no getting away from it.

Perhaps, she thought, somewhere in the back of her mind she wanted this, figured it was her just deserts for letting her heart get away from her for a moment. While she grew to appreciate the life inside her for what it was, a being created out of the love between two people who never should have been, she also knew she wasn't meant to be that child's mother.

In the hospital, seconds after she gave birth and the doctor placed that bundle in her arms, she doubted her decision. But as soon as it came, the thought vanished from her mind. The child would be raised by ones who were better able to rear her, who be there for her little girl and raise her well. This was not a job for Melinda May. Melinda's job was fighting bad guys and being constantly on the move.

Her one regret, which came as a blow to the stomach every time it crossed her mind, was how much Phil would have liked to have been a father. He would have relished in it, and she had taken that right from him by hiding it all. The face of her lover on her daughter's stare would haunt her until the day she died.

The wisdom we learn as our minds,  
>They do burn'll,<br>Entice the naivety in youth,  
>As adults will grow and maturity shows,<br>The terrifying rarity of truth,  
>As you turn to your mind,<br>And your thoughts they rewind,  
>To old happenings and things that are done,<br>You can't find what's passed,  
>Make that happiness last,<br>Seeing from those eyes what you become,  
>Well you become<p>

I come back to haunt you,  
>Memories will taunt you,<br>And I will try to love you,  
>It's not like I'm above you,<p>

A few years later, all traces of birth gone, Phil Coulson and Melinda May, part of a larger group, are sent on a mission. Things go bad, all but them die. The Cavalry is born.

Slowly, he tried to break her out of her shell. He still knows her better than anyone else. He still sees more than anyone else. They aren't young anymore. They aren't naïve enough to believe that physical release is what will get them through a tough time.

They reconnect, at least for a short time. They keep each other going until the brunt of it is passed and they can restart their lives. Neither will be the same. Looking into each other's eyes on their last night together they realize that they are still in love. But they also realize, more than that night so many years ago in the little hotel in California, that they are better off apart.

They sear each other into their memories one last time. They know it can't be possible. They can't go back to that which they had and gave up so many moons ago. They refuse to be the same people they left in that hotel.

So they allow those memories to resurface now and again. They can't have each other, but they can haunt themselves with the smiles and heated looks once shared by their lovers. They can picture the love and contentment in the eyes of their other half, even if it is all a lie and as soon as their eyelids flutter open the spell will be broken once more.

Their lives progress, and while lonely, they live. They live for each other and themselves. They live for the daughter one has forgotten and the other never knew existed; they live for the love they had, gave up and lost.

Day by day they live. Day by day they survive. Day by day they haunt each other.

I will see you there,  
>See you there,<br>See you there,  
>I'll come back to haunt,<br>Memories will taunt you,  
>And I will try to love you,<br>It's not like I'm above you


	2. Man (MayWardAngst, MayOther)

**Man  
><strong>(MayWard Angst / MayOther)

"Walk Like a Man" By: Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Oh, how you tried to cut me down to size**  
><strong>Tellin' dirty lies to my friends**  
><strong>But my own father said "Give her up, don't bother**  
><strong>The world isn't comin' to an end"**  
><strong>(He said)

Walk like a man, talk like a man**  
><strong>Walk like a man my son**  
><strong>No woman's worth crawlin' on the earth**  
><strong>So walk like a man, my son

Bye bye baby, I don't-a mean maybe**  
><strong>Gonna get along somehow**  
><strong>Soon you'll be cryin' on account of all your lyin'**  
><strong>Oh yeah, just look who's laughin' now**  
><strong>(I'm gonna)

Walk like a man, fast as I can**  
><strong>Walk like a man from you**  
><strong>I'll tell the world "forget about it, girl"**  
><strong>And walk like a man from you

Ward was broken down and cut to size, but he wasn't going to let no woman put him down. She may in fact be able to physically put him down in a fight, but he was not going to let Melinda May dictate how he was going to feel.

She had been a moment of weakness. He had been taken in by her presence. They were both in need of that quick and emotionless let-go. But he was no fool.

Mamma didn't raise no dummy, and she sure as hell didn't raise no choir-boy either.

They weren't due to take off for two days and Ward didn't plan on remaining on-board for any longer. If she thought she was the beat-all of all woman-kind, Agent Melinda "The Cavalry" May had another thing coming.

He strode off the Bus and went straight to the nearest bar he could find. After downing a few shots he started looking around trying to find a pretty face he could entice. It wouldn't be too hard. Most of the girls there looked barely legal and would probably be an easy catch.

He stood tall and did as his father had taught him. Women don't like guys who act like girls. Be a man and act like one. So he did. He swayed his hips just right to catch the eyes of the few in his vicinity and swaggered right up to the hottest girl in the place.

Just as he was about to make his grand introduction he caught a movement that seemed familiar from the corner of his eye. Lo and behold, just the person he least wanted to see had sashayed into the hole in the wall he had found. She looked to be alone and all the better.

'Here you go, Agent, see what you just threw away.' He thought as he looked away and smiled his most charming smile to the girl in front of him. She fell for it, as they all did, and allowed him to come up closer. He made sure to follow May's movements around the bar and knew exactly where she had sat: a place with a perfect view of what he was doing.

He closed the deal with the miniskirt sitting in front of him and made a grand gesture of pulling her from her seat and turning. He still had it and no Melinda May could take the victory of being a virile man and getting the hottie.

As he was making his way out with the girl whose name he didn't even know something else caught his attention. This time instead of his ego bursting it crumbled.

He had lost May. He had lost May to a man who must have been much more man than he had given him credit for.

There they were sat, completely lost in each other's eyes. Ward might have had an ego problem, and he might have been a sore loser, but of this loss he wouldn't be able to complain.


	3. Home To You (Philinda)

**Home To You**

(Philinda)

"Sweet Pea" By: Amos Lee

Sweet pea  
>Apple of my eye<br>Don't know when and I don't know why  
>You're the only reason I keep on coming home<p>

Sweet pea  
>What's all this about<br>Don't get your way all you do is fuss and pout  
>You're the only reason I keep on coming home <p>

Being a specialist and being a special agent were not one and the same as many people thought. There were some very significant differences; the most important in this case was the office hours. While a special agent spent quality time with a computer at a desk, specialists rarely saw the inside of the building.

This was something Melinda May and Phil Coulson were becoming all too aware of. They had come up through the ranks together and grown closer than any other agents in their graduating class. They realized that they were good together not only on the field but off it as well. After graduating, Phil and Melinda secretly moved in together.

At first it worked out great. He went straight into field training and she opted into specialist. He needed an address, and she couldn't have an official one. His house, she became a 'frequent guest' and the Agency never questioned it.

Move forward a year from then and things were not as easy as they had imagined it would have remained. Melinda, having completed her training, was almost never home. Phil was lonely and often missed her when she wasn't there at the end of the day. He started to worry she didn't want to be a part of them anymore. After all, she was a specialist now. She could do more than he and be with more interesting people, people who didn't collect Captain America cards. What would she want with him?

When she eventually came home from an assignment that had taken 3 months to complete he sat her down to talk. She was confused as to where it was coming from.

"Phil, please, what in the world are you saying? Are you breaking up with me?" She was on the verge of tears. She knew she had always been stronger than him, but if he was truly trying to end it with her, she had no idea what she would do.

"Never. I just figured that you might have found someone else, that maybe you were done with me." He lowered his gaze, not willing to look up at her.

She stared at him in disbelief. But he wasn't done digging himself into his pit.

He continued just as quietly, "I know that you don't exactly get a choice in assignments, much less where those assignments take you, but you like it. You like not knowing where you're going to wake up in the morning, not being sure of where you'll have to travel to next, who you'll be working with. I have very little chance of ever getting into that side of things. Eventually they are going to realize just how great you are and stick you somewhere you won't want to come back from, and I don't want you to feel like you have to come back to me. I get it. I would leave me too."

Melinda just shook her head. "You stupid man."

He looked up ate her in shock. Those were not the words he had expected.

"What in the world makes you think I could want someone else, or that they could offer me something better than coming back here after each and every mission?"

She took his hands in between hers and knelt before him on the rug. She looked deep into his eyes and made sure he could see hers clearly in the low light. Knowing him, she had to get this through to him in one go or she wouldn't break through his narrow-mindedness.

"Specialists are not supposed to have homes. They aren't supposed to have a family because then there isn't a mess for S.H.I.E.L.D. to explain when things go sour. But you know that is not my case."

She paused to make sure he was following, but in his true fashion, he wasn't. She rolled her eyes softly.

"You, Phil Coulson, are my home. I do my job so well and make it home every time because I have you to come home to. You are my reason to live for, and more importantly to come home to, because I know for sure what I would be missing out on if I were to give up in the direst in circumstances. Do you hear me?"

Now she was crying. How could he ever think so little of her, of himself!? She didn't give him a second longer to think about her words and pulled his face to hers for a searing kiss. She told herself that it was to make sure he understood that she wasn't leaving, but perhaps it was to make herself completely aware of his presence and that she wasn't alone.

She had always been the stronger one of the both of them, but tonight she didn't feel it. She felt spent and over-extended. Not only had she just come back from her most grueling quest yet, but her boyfriend, who should have been there to help her relax, had caused her more emotional turmoil than she had felt in all her years of dating.

I'm like the Rock of Gibraltar  
>I always seem to falter<br>And the words just get in the way  
>Oh I know I'm gonna crumble<br>I'm trying to stay humble  
>But I never think before I say<p>

She allowed herself to remain in the kiss she had initiated until he felt ready to let her go. When he finally did, he pulled her up to sit on his lap and hugged her impossibly close to him. And that way they remained for over an hour: her legs thrown over his, his arms encircling her waist, her arm around his shoulder, his chin on her forehead while her head fitted itself perfectly into the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry, Mel, honey. I don't know what came over me." He whispered finally.

She raised her head, eyes still puffy from crying, a sad look in them. "How could you have ever thought that I could just leave you like that?"

"I was lonely with you gone. I guess I figured… I don't know what I was thinking." He laid a tender kiss on her lips once more.

"I just love you so much. I cannot bear to think of you not coming home one day. I guess…I guess I figured it would be easier if you decided now for something, or someone, else before I got even more in over my head."

New tears sprang into her eyes. "You love me? Really, you mean that?"

That was when he realized they had never told each other that before. He had been thinking it in his mind for so long he had forgotten that it was not a forgone conclusion.

"Definitely! My God, Melinda, I have loved you since the first day I met you and you put me down on that wrestling mat. I knew I needed you in my life more than anything. There will never be anyone else for me but you."

"Oh Phil! I… I can't believe… Why haven't you said anything before?"

"I've never believed my luck when it comes to you." He looked away sheepishly. "I still don't believe it."

"I seem to keep needing to repeat myself tonight. You stupid man, I will tell you once more that you are the reason, the only reason, I will keep coming home after every mission, assignment, job or whatever pulls me away."

She put her mouth very close to his ear and drew him into her embrace. "I love you too, Phil Coulson, and I don't plan on letting go ever."

Sweet pea  
>Keeper of my soul<br>I know sometimes I'm out of control  
>You're the only reason I keep on coming<br>You're the only reason I keep on coming yeah  
>You're the only reason I keep on coming home<p> 


	4. Carry On (Philinda)

**Carry On**

(Philinda) 

"Carry On Wayward Son" By: Kansas

Carry on my wayward son  
>There'll be peace when you are done<br>Lay your weary head to rest  
>Don't you cry no more <p>

The day had been difficult on all of them, especially him. What Phil had endured at the hands of Raina and Centipede was unparalleled. Melinda was yet unaware of all that had happened to him, both through S.H.I.E.L.D. and Centipede, but there could be no doubt that it had to have been an extreme level of cruelty to have caused the normally calm and cheerful agent to beg for his death; which is why it was so surprising to her to have found him sound asleep in his office an hour before take-off.

She approached him with the stealth only she was known for. Carefully, she removed the glasses he had on. He needed them to read with, but it was the one blow his ego could never take. She could never figure out how he could feel so proud of all his seemingly childish collections, showing them off to anyone who took the time to listen, but always tried his hardest to hide the fact that he needed reading-glasses. Men! That was all she could muster regarding that particular topic.

She wanted to move him to his adjoining suite but knew that would awaken him. He needed his rest. He'd been through too much to be brought back to reality just yet.

Gently she smoothed his hair from his forehead and combed it back with her fingers. Her eyes followed the creases on his face, around his eyes and mouth, across his forehead and into his hairline. Those creases hadn't been there when they had first met, and there would likely be many more to come before they managed to get all the answers they needed.

She ran her fingers gently over his cheek and lightly over his eyebrow. Slowly, almost sensually, she brought her face closer to his. She laid a soft, tender and chaste kiss to his brow first. She followed the pattern her fingers had made in reverse, coming in the end to the uncharted territory of his lips. In the lightest of caresses, she placed her lips against his. This last act made him open his eyes and to look straight into hers.

He didn't speak just yet, unwilling to break the silence. She was alright with that, never much for words herself. He had woken when she had removed his glasses and had known instantly it was her. She was the only one on the bus who would have been so bold. At first he had been hoping she would go away, but now he wasn't sure. They kept looking through each other, trying to figure out what was going through the other's mind.

Not sure of what was happening, nor where it was stemming from on her part, Phil decided to test the waters. He leaned in to her this time and closed the distance between his mouth and hers in another small, barely there kiss. Still their eyes never strayed. When they separated again, her hand came up and cupped his cheek warmly.

Melinda tilted her head and moved in a third time. Unlike the previous kisses, she closed her eyes and deepened the pressure of her lips on his, causing his hands to cup her own head. Thus began the dual for control as they reacquainted themselves with the other's caresses. But, while more than they had done in many years, they never went beyond the kiss, breaking their embrace mere minutes after it had begun, their foreheads falling gently together and their breathing slowing.

Phil threaded his fingers through her hair once more and smiled. She allowed herself a small one in response to his, glad to see his mood had lifted, if only a bit.

"I wouldn't mind getting woken like this from time to time." He told her.

The corner of her mouth crinkled up. "I should have let you sleep longer."

"I'm glad you didn't."

She closed her eyes, their proximity too much for her. He simply examined her.

When she opened her eyes again she noticed the smile hadn't left his face, bringing her own back to hers. She lifted her forehead from his finally and ran the back of her fingers down his cheek.

"We take off in about 40 minutes. Why don't you go back there and have a real lie-down?"

His head shook and his smile became sad. The hand that wasn't cupping her face went to the one of hers that was on his cheek, grasping and holding it.

"I already cheated by taking this catnap. I have paperwork to catch up on, reports to file. And I need to see the ground team off."

"I'll give you that last one. But we'll have five hours before we get to our destination. I hope you'll…"

"I'll take a nap during the flight then. Besides, if I'm not there to send Agent Hand on her way the kids might not be so nice."

She turned away from him, becoming serious once more. "Alright, have it your way."

She began to stand and pull away from him. He had yet to relinquish his hold on her hand and used it to pull her back to stand between his legs. "Hey, I promise!" He emphasized by pulling her down to his lap to be closer to her face once more.

"Ok."

"Ok."

"I need to go through the pre-flight check."

He let her go but followed her out of the room.

Ah

Once I rose above the noise and confusion  
>Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion<br>I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high

Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man  
>Though my mind could think I still was a mad man<br>I hear the voices when I'm dreaming,  
>I can hear them say<p>

Carry on my wayward son,  
>There'll be peace when you are done<br>Lay your weary head to rest  
>Don't you cry no more<p>

After they had been in the air for an hour Melinda decided to check up on her self-appointed charge. As much as they both knew he needed his rest, she was also aware that he would rarely take a break before all his work was complete.

She set the plane on auto-pilot and stepped out of the cockpit. They were currently over the Atlantic and nothing but clear skies lay ahead. She didn't plan on being gone from the pilot's chair for very long.

When she reached the office at the top of the stairs she entered without preamble. Her surprise did not show when she did not find what he had expected. The room was empty. This forced her to go through to the nearly hidden door just off to the side of his desk and into Phil's personal cabin.

Instantly she noticed the distress he was in. While to the outside observer it would seem he was simply a fitful sleeper, she could tell he was having a nightmare. Just as when she had found him at his desk earlier, she approached him carefully in an attempt to not scare him. She sat at his side and laid one had on his arm and the other on the side of his face.

"Phil, wake up. It's just a dream," she whispered softly while rubbing his arm. He stopped moving and languidly opened his eyes. What she saw in them was pure fear.

"It's ok. I'm here for you."

He couldn't speak. Everything had come back to him as he had slept. Everything the machine had unearthed had been brought to the surface once more and assaulted his senses. Before he could register, tears had come to his eyes and he started to curl his legs into himself and turn away from Melinda. She would have none of it.

She crawled over him and pulled him into her embrace, hugging him closely to her. She let him cry his fears into her shoulder as she let her hands smooth circles across his back. She kissed his head and whispered words of peace and calm into his ear. There wasn't much to be done for the onslaught of emotions he was feeling. If he didn't deal with them now they would overwhelm him at a time when he might not be able to deal with them.

As he calmed down she could hear him saying something repeatedly into her neck. She strained to understand and was finally able to discern his question.

"Why didn't they let me die? Why didn't they just let me die Mel? Why? Why would Fury di this? Why couldn't he have let me stay dead?"

She brought his face up and made him look her in the eyes.

"You stop that this instant Phillip Coulson!" He gulped as he looked at her.

"Why should I, Mel? He had no right!"

"No, he didn't, but that is in the past now." Her face softened. "Whatever happened had already passed and now we deal with the future. You are stronger than that."

He lowered his head into the crook of her neck once more. "What if I'm not?" He spoke quietly, so quietly that she couldn't be sure she had heard him.

"But you are."

They continued in their embrace, each lost in their own thoughts. Both glad for the company of the other, taking comfort in the arms of the person they could trust that most. He didn't want to close his eyes and go back to that place, the real place, not the illusion they had put into his memories.

Almost as if of its own accord, Melinda's hand began playing with the hair on the back of his head. She let her fingers run through the short strands and curl themselves through their silkiness. Her eyes had closed and she was enjoying being in his arms again, even if the circumstances were not what she had hoped.

Phil, on the other hand, ran his hand up and down Melinda's side purposefully, yet gently. He couldn't begin to express his gratitude for her appearance. She had always been his anchor and he had missed their closeness in the previous years. When she had kissed him earlier in his office it had felt like finally coming home, and having her here with him, helping him muddle through his thoughts, holding onto him and allowing herself to be held by him was almost too much for him to bear. He hoped against hope that she wouldn't leave again.

"Thank you for comi…"

"Don't even start. I told you a long time ago that you could count on me and that never changed."

He smile sadly, "Yes it did, Mel. For a while at least, it did."

She frowned. "No, it didn't." She let out a long breath. "I may have left because I couldn't deal with everything, but if you had needed me I would have come."

It was his turn to make her look at him.

"I have always needed you."

"No, you haven't." She shook her head before she continued. "You were always better at this than I was, than I am. You could always make the best out of any situation you were given. You've never needed me, not half as much as I needed you."

He pulled himself up into a sitting position and she joined him. One of his hands took hers while the other caressed her cheek.

"What happened to us, Mel? We were so good. At least, I remember us being so good together."

"We were good, too good. I didn't want to hurt you anymore. After Bahrain I was different, and I couldn't bring you down with me. I didn't want us to go down the road I had seen so many agents take with their partners. I wasn't going to do that to you."

He knew there was more to that story, but he wasn't going into it now. Now they were making headway on a new them and he wasn't going to ruin that by opening up old wounds. Eventually they would have to cross that bridge, but not today.

"Ok, I'll accept that for now."

She raised her eyebrow at him.

"We will talk later about that."

Her eyebrow remained up, but it was no deterrent for him.

"But I will say what I was going to say before. Thank you for coming here. Thank you for staying with me."

She didn't answer him with words, but came up to her knees and straddled his thighs. She grabbed his face with both of her hands and gave him a kiss he would not soon be forgetting. Into that one meeting of their lips she tried to put as much emotion as she possibly could. She needed him to feel that she was here to stay. She might have left him before, but she was here now, and she wasn't planning on leaving.

He wasn't a passive participant either. As soon as she had sat on his lap he had brought his hands up to her waist, and when started kissing him, he pulled her head closer as well. He had been studying the mystery that was Melinda May for almost two decades already and he knew what she was trying to convey. He needed to her to understand the same things.

Were he not as much of a gentleman as he was, his hands would have been under her clothes from the beginning. As it was, he was enjoying having her on top of him too much to try anything else, not that she would have minded, he was sure.

When their need for breathing became greater than their hunger for one another they broke their kiss but not their touch. Their faces came to rest cheek-to-cheek, her arms around his head and his around her torso. They continued laying small kisses on any exposed skin they could find as they waited for their heart rates to come down. It always amazed them that in mere minutes they could make each other's heart beat faster than prolonged exercise or intense field situation ever could.

Never one for long silences, Phil spoke first. "So I guess that means I'm not single anymore."

Melinda began to laugh into his neck. He was one of the very few people who could bring such relaxation to her; actually, he was the only one. She looked up at him with a smile on her face, one that Phil had missed seeing.

"No, I guess neither of us are."

He smiled back and chastely kissed her again.

"Good. I never really liked the bachelor life."

As always, she raised her eyebrow, this time accompanying it with a smirk. She pecked him once more on the lips then rose from her position.

"Will you sleep again before we land?" She asked before turning to leave the room.

He nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll be ok for a couple more hours. I'll be down to get something to drink and take a look at the kids, but I'm still tired."

"Good. I'll come wake you before we land then."

He smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it."

She smiled back at him and left him to get fixed up before joining the others.

Masquerading as a man with a reason  
>My charade is the event of the season<br>And if I claim to be a wise man,  
>Well, it surely means that I don't know<p>

On a stormy sea of moving emotion  
>Tossed about, I'm like a ship on the ocean<br>I set a course for winds of fortune,  
>But I hear the voices say <p>

Carry on my wayward son  
>There'll be peace when you are done<br>Lay your weary head to rest  
>Don't you cry no more no!<p>

As he was getting himself that cup of water, Phil heard the sounds of his team coming from the lounge. He knew they had all gone above and beyond to get to him back and he had yet to take the time to thank them. Now was as good a time as any to do so.

He found them sitting around the coffee table with a board game set up. It seemed that if they were left alone for five minutes with nothing to do they would find themselves in this position. They made it very easy for him and Melinda to call them children. They coming through at first, so enthralled they were.

He sat on the arm of the couch by Ward's side, a look of indulgence for his agents on his face. FitzSimmons did not know how to respond to his presence, but Skye took care of it for them.

"Wanna join in on the fun AC?"

He shook his head. "That's alright Skye, I just came down for some water. I need to get back up the paperwork. You go ahead and play."

They continued their game, though a bit more subdued now that there was a chaperone present. Nonetheless, their fun didn't stop, and he appreciated their joviality. It amazed him how even through what they had seen and heard they still managed to be so energetic at the end of the day.

He remembered what it had been like to be their age and in their position. Bad things happened in the field even then, but youth had a way of masking the worst of it while maturity managed to bring it all out to be chewed upon. He envied them their naiveté.

As they moved their pieces around the board, kicking each other up and down, winning and sometimes losing the play, he couldn't help but be reminded once more of everything that had been brought up. He couldn't help but compare himself to the little pieces being moved around the board. S.H.I.E.L.D. controlled their lives so completely. His life was no longer his. If before he had figured that by his mere association and freely given service to the institution, with these newfound revelations he couldn't be more positive.

While he could sit here with these young agents, practically fresh from the academy compared to him and Melinda, he was now even more aware of the differences that sat between them. He needed to find a new purpose to continue doing what he had originally set out to do. He needed a new purpose to grab hold of and lead these S.H.I.E.L.D. babies into a better organization for whom to work. And he needed to start by giving them the credit they all deserved.

"Guys, pause the game for a moment, will you?"

As always, Skye was the first to speak up. "Sure, AC. What's up?"

"I have been made aware of all you did in order to find me and I wanted to thank you. You all went above and beyond on this and you should know that I am very grateful to you. Even if you did disobey direct orders from Agent Hand in order to do it, I'm proud of you for following your instincts." He turned directly to Skye at this point. "And I hear you even managed to take a few hostages in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name. I guess that means your basic field training has paid off."

The girl in question lowered her gaze, embarrassed at having been found out. Her only hope was that Agent May never found out just how far she had actually gone.

"Yeah, well, desperate times and all that. We're just glad that we got you back in one piece." She told him.

"Yes, sir," cut in Jemma. "We are a team sir, and no team is complete without its leader. There was no chance we were going to let anyone else handle this."

"They don't have our finesse, sir." Leo finished for her.

Phil looked at Ward, wondering if he would add anything. "We take care of our own, sir."

Phil nodded and got up to go back to his repose. "Carry on with your game. I'm sure one of you will manage to take Fitz down from his lead eventually."

The ever enthusiastic Skye didn't miss a beat. "Your ass is mine, Fitzy!"

"Not even in your dreams, hacker." He replied.

As the leader of this chipper crowd left he heard the battle for victory continue. It brought another smile to his face and more determination to his resolve. He would find a way to improve upon the distastefulness that had entered S.H.I.E.L.D. after the battle of New York, if for no one else but the people currently on this plane.

Carry on,  
>You will always remember<br>Carry on,  
>Nothing equals the splendor<br>Now your life's no longer empty  
>Surely heaven waits for you<p>

Just as she had promised, Melinda came to find him an hour before landing time. He was taking another nap just as she had hoped and this time didn't appear to be suffering from any night terrors. As was becoming a habit, she approached him and sat by his side. She gently shook him awake and returned the smile she received once he had awoken.

"I take it this was a good sleep."

"Mmm, yes. But I'm glad you came to get me."

She raised her eyebrow in amusement. "Are you now?"

He pulled her down to him to show her just how glad he was to see her. She acquiesced to his control for a few moments, but quickly took it back.

"While I am glad you are feeling a little better, we don't have time to start this now."

"Spoilsport."

She removed herself from under him and sat up with him. She did allow him to hold her in his arms and didn't move to get up from the bed just yet.

"I heard you speaking to them."

He smirked at her. "Keeping tabs on me?"

"Do you really think I leave them all alone together without making sure they aren't destroying my plane?"

He chuckled, "Are you ever going to forgive them for torching that pillow?"

"Forgive, never forget."

He nodded. Of course. Only she would trust a group of people with her life but never her favorite toy. Who was he kidding? They were never coming near Lola.

"It was good for them. They needed to hear it from you."

"Yeah, I know. But on that note, I decided something."

As his gaze became serious so did hers.

"I plan on rooting out all the underhanded ploys being put through this organization. I don't know how yet, not how deep it runs, but I plan on ending all the lies being propagated, especially as it pertains to any and all personnel attached to this unit."

She nodded and blinked once. She understood where this was coming from and would support him if need be.

"Can I count on your help?" He knew the answer before she even spoke it, but needed to hear her say it.

"Always."

He squeezed her shoulder and nodded at her once more. She allowed a small smile to appear at the corner of her lips.

"Come, let's land this bus."

He smiled fully. "Sure. I'll meet you there. Let me freshen up. Can't let the kids know I'm not perfect."

She allowed her eyes to roll just so. "Of course not, I'll be waiting in the cockpit."

Just as she was about to leave he pulled her to him one last time. She smiled into their kiss before letting him go and pushing him towards the mini lavatory.

While he still had a long way of recovery ahead of him, she had more hope that he would recover fully now. He was the stronger of the two of them, of that she was sure. She just hoped she would be able to be strong enough to support him because he would get through this. He might have a few battles ahead, but she would see him through. At the end of it all he would come out on top. He stood apart from all other agents she had met through the years.

For now she would make sure he got the reprieve he needed, the rest he deserved. She would be by his side and she would help him carry on.

Carry on my wayward son  
>There'll be peace when you are done<br>Lay your weary head to rest  
>Don't you cry,<br>Don't you cry no more,

No more!


	5. Remember (Philinda)

**Remember  
><strong>(Philinda plus Fitz)

"You belong to me" By: Jason Wade

See the pyramids along the Nile  
>Watch the sunrise from a tropic isle<br>Just remember darling all the while  
>You belong to me<p>

See the market-place in old Algiers  
>Send me photographs and souvenirs<br>Just remember when a dream appears  
>You belong to me<p>

Melinda May looked over the console in front of her and smiled sadly as she saw the pyramids of Giza coming up before her. She could remember the first time she had gone on an extended assignment… so many years ago. She imagined so many things would have been different back then. She had thought the whole world was at her fingertips and she could do whatever she pleased. The years had taught her that it wasn't so. She didn't control the world, usually not ever her own life.

She had nothing to her name. She had nothing tying her down. She had no one back home waiting back home. Hell, she had no home anymore. The apartment she had been living in was technically considered temporary housing for field agents who needed a place to crash for a few months, not the years she had spent there. Not that anyone had had the guts to kick her out. If anything, her reputation had brought her that reprieve.

The sun was coming up on the horizon now, and she could just make out the edge of land that separated Egypt from the Mediterranean. Soon she'd be looking at the Greek Isles before veering west and heading to Casablanca in Morocco. Today she was feeling sentimental and decided to take the scenic route. They could spare the extra hour. The paperwork was still being settled to give them access to the 0-8-4 and Coulson wouldn't mind.

She brought the plane down some few hundred feet to get a better look at the crystal blue waters. They were still far off, and barely visible, but she could just make out the white of rocky mountainside. She could remember her first time on the islands, the one day-off she had gotten, and the little memento she had bought and covertly shipped home to someone who once upon a time had cared enough to receive it.

Once upon a time she hadn't been on her own. Once upon a time she had had something, no – someone, to her name. She had cared and loved and had had those things in return. She had had someone missing her. She had missed someone. It had felt good. But now that was the past. The tiny Poseidon statue she had purchased had probably been long forgotten and disposed of. The promises of belonging had more than likely been misplaced right along with it.

The door to the cockpit opened cutting into her musings. Perhaps for the best since she had gone from sentimental to melancholic.

For the first time she could remember, Fitz was in the small space alone with her. She never took her eyes off the skyline but lifted an eyebrow in question. For his part, Fitz had never planned on coming into her sanctuary in the first place but had been ordered by Coulson to find out why they were taking the long way. He would much rather have gone back down to his lab and argue with Simmons.

"Um, Agent May, Coulson, that is, Agent Coulson, he wanted to know, well he asked – no that is he told me, yes he told me to come and ask you where we were going. That is, what I mean is why we aren't going straight there, why are we just not going straight through the continent?"

She would have laughed at his inability to not get a complete sentence outburst she was afraid he would have soiled himself.

"Course correction."

He nodded, wrapping his head around her statement and trying to formulate what he would say to Coulson. As he was bringing his head down again for its fifth nod he noticed what lay ahead of them.

"That's Greece isn't it? That mountain coming up would be where Poseidon's temple was located if I'm not mistaken in my geography."

"Yes."

"A bit risky, isn't it? Giving a nod to the sea god while we're in his brother's territory?"

She lifted her eyebrow in response.

"Not that I believe in all that, but you know the Asgardians turned out to be real. Who's to say Zeus isn't out there somewhere. Actually, we need to look into that. I'm going to go talk to Agent Coulson. Maybe he knows something."

May's amused eyebrow remained up, as did the slight crinkle at the corner of her mouth. Both soon transformed into a frown as she heard him mention something before he left her alone once more.

"Did you know he has this little statuette of Poseidon in his office? He said it reminded him where he belonged. I wonder if that means we do have to watch out for the Greek gods along with the Asgardians."

Fitz continued mumbling to himself as he closed the door behind him.

And I'll be so alone without you  
>Maybe you'll be lonesome too<p>

Fly the ocean in a silver plane  
>See the jungle when it's wet with rain<br>Just remember till you're home again  
>You belong to me<p>

After the threat had been established and neutralized and they were off once more, May had more time to think about the revelation Fitz had given her.

She had been in that office more than any other member of the team. She had more training in spotting things out of place than any of them had had. Why hadn't she noticed it? Had she purposefully blocked out the one thing that might still connect them to each other?

No, that wasn't possible. It had to be a different, new figurine that Fitz had confused for the Greek deity. That had to have been it.

Needing to prove herself right on the subject, May turned on the autopilot and went up to Coulson's office. No one noticed her as she slipped by them and up the spiral stairs. They were all preoccupied with the interesting buys they had managed to make in the Moroccan markets before leaving.

She paused at the door before going in. She wasn't sure anymore if she wanted to find out the answers to her questions. She was prepared to deal with him having moved on from her. She had expected it. What she didn't want was to bring up the 'with whom'.

On the other hand, could she deal with it if he hadn't moved on, if he were still waiting for her? Could she handle it if he told her that she did belong somewhere? That she always had? The reasons why she had never gone back would still be there. Could she muddle through it all in order to go home?

She knew she was just dawdling and berated herself. She stared down the world's worst criminals for a living and she didn't break a sweat, she could go in there and face this. She pulled herself up to her full height and entered.

Phil Coulson sat at his desk going through the red tape necessary to store their latest addition at the Sandbox. He looked up as she came in and smiled. When he noticed that she was looking around his office he frowned, then smirked. She'd been here so many times he'd figured she already knew everything that was on display.

"Looking for something specific?"

She didn't look at him but seemed to have frozen in place, her gaze fixed on something behind his desk, near one of his Captain America cards. He sighed as he realized what she had found. In all the times she had been here he had thought she had already seen it but hadn't remembered. Apparently he had hidden it well enough from her sight, and she still remembered.

He reached behind him and took up the little serious-looking man. He'd always thought the little god looked a little constipated, but he loved it just the same.

He brought his eyes up to her once more and saw that she was looking at him instead of the statue. He noticed that there was a tear in her eye but she refused to acknowledge it.

"You kept it." She stated, her voice almost catching at the end.

He smiled. "My most prized collectible. Why wouldn't I?"

She frowned at him. "Why did you ask me on this team?"

"I realized that I was lonely." He paused and looked down at the statuette in his hand. "You were taking too long to come home, so I came out to find you."

"Why?" She was barely holding herself together now. She looked into his eyes and begged them with her own.

"You sent me this little guy while you were on your first assignment. It was the only thing you ever sent me."

He got up from his chair and moved to lean against the front of his desk. Her eyes never left him, her hands balling up at her sides trying to contain her tears.

"I told you before you left that I would be there waiting for you, that no matter how long it took, or how many times you had to go off, I would be there. Eventually I started going around on the odd job, but I always kept my door open to you, even when that odd job had our paths crossing."

He allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

"At one point I thought that you might actually be coming home, but then it all came crashing down and you moved further away." He frowned once more. "After Tahiti I wanted to go home, but you weren't there. I found I had no home anymore. I was just alone, like you. When Nick told me I could have my pick of team-members I knew who I needed."

She continued to not say anything and simply stared. Tears were now streaming down her face copiously and she wasn't trying to hold them back, there was no point. Her hands continued to be balled up, her nails digging into her palms.

He put the statue on his desk and moved to stand directly in front of her. He took her hands in his and loosened their grip.

"I told you before you left that very first time that no matter where you went or how long you took, I would wait for you."

He couldn't help the emotions being brought up in his own voice. He continued knowing that he wouldn't get through without shedding his own tears.

"I got tired of waiting for you to come home and decided that I would bring home to you. We promised each other a long time ago that we belonged to each other. I never forgot that, and I will keep that written in my heart until you are ready to come home. Whether that be now, or three years from now, I will wait."

She barely let him finish before she pulled her hands out from his and pulled him to her in a soul-sucking kiss. He responded immediately just as a man who had just found paradise after being stuck in the desert for years. He crushed her in his arms hoping to get nearer than they already were. Her hands wrapped themselves around his shoulder and broke their kiss when her emotions got the better of her once more.

She hugged him to her and hid her face in the crook of his neck. Coulson didn't miss a beat and held her to him, laying kisses down her exposed neck and rubbing his hands up and down her back. Once she had calmed down enough, she brought her face up and searched his eyes.

He didn't rush her. He held too much hope that she would say that she was back, that he didn't have to be alone anymore. But he knew there was the possibility that she would say no, that she would tell him she didn't want to go back. As much as he hoped that their kiss meant she was ready for them again, he knew she might not be.

She leaned into him once more and closed her eyes. She pressed her lips to his and gave him soft and only slightly sensual kiss. When she leaned back and opened her eyes again she allowed herself to smile.

"I thought I didn't have a home anymore. I had given up on ever having one again." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Thank you for not giving up. I think I'm ready to come home."

"We're already there."

He leaned over and captured her lips once more. They still had many things to clear up and many stories to go over. But for now they could be certain they would never be alone so long as the other could help it. They belonged to each other and they weren't letting go.

And I'll be so alone without you  
>Maybe you'll be lonesome too<p>

Fly the ocean in a silver plane  
>See the jungle when it's wet with rain<br>Just remember till you're home again  
>You belong to me<p> 


	6. Redemption (Grant Ward)

**Redemption**

(Grant Ward)

"Homeboy" By: Eric Church 

You were too bad for a little square town  
>with your hip-hop hat and your pants on the ground<br>Heard you cussed out mamma, pushed daddy around  
>You tore off in his car<br>Now here you are runnin' these dirty old streets  
>Tattoo on your neck, fake gold on your teeth<br>Got the hood here snow, but you can't fool me,

We both know who you are

Back in the day, before S.H.I.E.L.D. had recruited him, and a long time before he had gotten his life in order, Grant Ward had been a small town bad boy. He saw the inside of a cell more times than he felt comfortable remembering. He knew how easy it was for someone to turn to a life outside of the system, and he knew he owed his life to the only man who stuck his neck out for him to pull him back.

Gene had been a friend of his family since before Grant could remember. He had always treated Grant well and been a friend to him when things got tough at home. He had also been the only one who had gone out of his way to pull Grant out of all the messes he managed to get himself into. Without his help, Grant Ward would surely have died long before he'd had the opportunity to prove himself and straighten out his life.

Lately, with the newest addition to their S.H.I.E.L.D. family, their lovably annoying hacker, Grant had been thinking a lot about his almost uncle. He remembered how low he had gotten, the crowd he had started to run with that was less than savory, the pain he had started to cause his family and friends.

Back then, he hadn't cared about anything and anyone. He had thought himself pretty cool and much better than his surroundings. Teenagers can make a mess aout of pretty much any situation, and Grant had been a genius when it came to making a mess.

By the time he was 17 he had gotten some money together and moved out of his parents' home, thinking they were just trying to stifle him by setting curfews and asking about his coming and going. How wrong he had been. He would take back what he had done to them in a heartbeat.

He could still vividly recall the day he had walked out. He could see in his mind's eye the pain in his mother's eyes and the anger in his father's face. He had physically pushed his way out of the house and even taken his father's car. How self-righteous he had been, thinking he deserved something without never really earning the right.

Homeboy, you're gonna wish one day you were sittin' on the gate of a truck by the lake  
>with your high school flame on one side, ice cold beer on the other<br>Ain't no shame in a blue collar forty, little house, little kids, little small town story  
>If you don't ever do anything else for me, just do this for me brother,<p>

Come on homeboy

Today he knew how wrong he had been. He had apologized to his parents profusely and still made it home as much as possible, but he knew he had hurt them by his actions that day.

Nowadays, he almost wished for the calmer life back on the farm. Sure, he couldn't picture himself staying long. He had felt the rush of adrenalin while on a mission and he wasn't soon willing to give it up. He still didn't understand how May had managed to stay away for so long. No, he couldn't picture himself staying out in the country for very long, but he did wistfully consider taking a few longer vacations there, sitting on the porch, or going out to the fields or the lake, and just spending the afternoons staring out at those mystical sunsets.

It had all been thanks to Gene, the man who had made him clean up his act and become a man. Even dreaming of that life wouldn't have been possible if the stubborn mule hadn't dragged him kicking and screaming away from his so-called friends. How he had ever thought that a bunch of idiots sitting around shooting at birds and running scams on the town was a great group to call friends he would never understand.

I was haulin' this hay, Uncle Joe's farm  
>Thought of us bare foot kids in the yard<br>Man it seems we were just catchin' snakes in the barn  
>now you're caught up in this mess<br>I can use a little help unloadin' these bales  
>I can keep ya pretty busy with a hammer and a nail<br>Ain't a glamorous life, but it'll keep ya outta jail  
>and not worry us all to death<p>

Homeboy you're gonna wish one day you were sittin' on the gate of a truck by the lake  
>with your high school flame on one side, ice cold beer on the other<br>Ain't no shame in a blue collar forty, little house, little kids, little small town story  
>If you don't ever do anything else for me just do this for me brother,<p>

Come on homeboy

Gene had come to the barn they used back then and at first pleaded with him to come out to his farm. The man had been persistent, every day he would show up and try to convince Grant to come with him. The problem was that adolescent Grant had been just as persistent in his arrogance and bullheadedness to refuse.

After this back and forth had gone on for a month, Gene had had enough of it. He showed up to the barn with one of his hunting rifles and shot a hole clear through the side of the barn. He'd pulled Grant up by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to his truck. When the other guys had tried to fight him for the hole to in their hangout, Gene had simply made another one and warned them not to come looking for their friend because he'd have the sheriff after them.

Once they had gotten to the farm, Gene had set Grant down and laid down the law. Grant had never been so scared in his life. His second day there he had tried to sneak off in the middle of the night but had been caught. Every day he was made to work out in the fields, under the watchful eye of either Gene or one of the farm hands, he had managed to pick a fight about something. Eventually, the heavy workload broke him down and he stopped trying to battle everyone around him.

You can't hold back the hands of time  
>Mamma's goin' grey and so is Daddy's mind<br>I wish you'd come on back and make it alright  
>before they're called... homeboy <p>

His parents were not young, in fact he had been a surprise to them later in their marriage, at a time when they no longer believed they would have a child. His fighting with them had never been easy for them and they had taken it very hard when he had left home. His father's health had started to decline and his mother couldn't take care of their home with as much ease as before.

It had taken him almost a year, but he went back home to make amends with his folks and set things straight. He had apologized for all the pain he had caused them, and they had welcomed him home with wide open arms.

Soon after that, he had gotten to act heroically when there was a problem at the high school. S.H.I.E.L.D. had gotten wind of it and he was recruited. He had never been able to thank Gene for pulling him out of the pit his had thrown himself in, but maybe it was time he did just that.

Homeboy  
>Come on homeboy<br>Homeboy  
>Come on homeboy<p> 


	7. Magical (FitzSimmonsFriendship & Skye)

**Magical**

"Magic" By: Pilot

**The first time out:  
><strong>(FitzSimmons)

Oh, ho, ho  
>It's magic, you know<br>Never believe it's not so  
>It's magic, you know<br>Never believe, it's not so

Never been awake  
>Never seen a day break<br>Leaning on my pillow in the morning  
>Lazy day in bed<br>Music in my head  
>Crazy music playing in the morning light<p>

The first day you spend in any new activity always seems so amazing, such an interesting and incredible experience. All the lights and colors swirl around and a person can get lost in it all. It is easy to forget what brought you there, or what you hope to accomplish. Looking out and around, there are so many different things assaulting the senses that everything seems magical.

For FitzSimmons, their first time on the bus, preparing for their first mission, was beyond what they had hoped for while at the academy. They had never expected to go on missions with actual agents and action & adventure. Preparing gadgets and innovative gear from the comfort and safety of the labs, structured and grounded, definitely. Flying off the ground on a plane worth more than they could probably make in a lifetime? No, that hadn't been in the plans.

Yet, here they were. Here they were about to take off. Here they were, official agents with identification and a clearance level to boot. They looked at each other and shared a childish grin and giggle.

This was going to be so much fun!

**A New Home:  
><strong>(Skye)

Oh, ho, ho  
>It's magic, you know<br>Never believe it's not so  
>It's magic, you know<br>Never believe, it's not so

I love my sunny day  
>Dream of far away<br>Dreaming on my pillow in the morning  
>Never been awake<br>Never seen a day break  
>Leaning on my pillow in the morning light<p>

There were no windows, except for the windshield in the front. She had not much air actually, but it had been worth it. Driving out as soon as she had laid the money down on the counter, Skye couldn't believe her luck. She finally had something to her name. She had somewhere she belonged now, and she could take her home wherever she wanted.

While she had been down this very road many times before, had heard the song playing on the radio before, had had the same bakery smells wafting their way under her nose before, in her van it all seemed new. The world, while technically the same, seemed so much brighter and lovelier than it had even an hour ago.

An hour ago she was nobody. Now she was a van owner. An hour ago she had no roof over her head. Now she had a place to call home, and it was mobile! The world was at her fingertips. She could go wherever she wanted. No one to tell her to turn down her volume, no one to tell her she couldn't stay up late or that she had to get up early.

She could go on all night or be up after 2pm. She could drive all the way across the country without having to tell the nuns where she was. She could make a mess in her room. Or she could simply drive around with the windows down, her music playing and enjoy whatever she city or town she was in.

Freedom was sweet.

Oh, ho, ho  
>It's magic, you know<br>Never believe it's not so  
>It's magic, you know<br>Never believe, it's not so


	8. A Reverie (CoulsonSkye Family)

**A Reverie **

(Coulson and Skye familial)

"**Guinevere" By: Eli Young Band**

She's got a bumper like a billboard  
>Covered in stickers of her favorite bands<br>She's got a handful of records that she turns to  
>When she needs to land<br>She's a Saturday night parade through the streets  
>That all eyes come to see including me<p>

Coulson stared dumbly at the plastic enclosure that was currently containing Skye. He was still in shock that she had taken that bullet and might die. It just did not seem possible that this young woman, so full of life and naiveté, could simply lose it all because of an idiot with a gun.

He remembered fondly the day they first met, that dirty old van of hers that she hung so strongly to. He thought of all the little games she tried to get everyone to play with her, from the embarrassing to the challenging. She was such a spark of life on the bus. Even notoriously cautious and questioning May had come around to the girl's side.

She carries memories around like souvenirs down in her pockets  
>She should have let some go by now but can't seem to drop it<br>Says forgiveness ain't nothing but a lifeless tire on the shoulder of her soul  
>That never rolls<p>

The only time she was ever closed off was when her past was mentioned. Skye knew no boundaries, and that came as a breath of fresh air in the cold emotionless world of S.H.I.E.L.D. She called them all on their B.S.

As much as she tried to draw them all out of their shells, when it came to her own problems she closed herself off so tight from most. Coulson felt privileged that she had deemed him worthy enough to be let in. He knew how much it hurt her to not know about her parents or what had happened to them. He always wished he could find more information for her.

She was strong, stronger than many people gave her credit for. She would make it through this next hurdle. He would see through it. She wasn't dead yet, and if he could beat death she could as well. He wouldn't wish what he had been through on anyone, but he would make sure she didn't get to that point either.

For as much as she stumbled she's runnin'  
>For as much as she runs she's still here<br>Always hoping to find something quicker than Heaven  
>To make the damage of her days disappear<br>Just like Guinevere

Recently, Skye had been putting herself in more dangerous situations. It went beyond what was asked of her. Coulson could see her pushing herself harder and harder to be better than they expected. While she had lost their trust for a while there, she had gained it back when she helped to find him and take down some side operations in the process.

He knew that May had been touched, slightly and almost unperceptively, by Skye's impersonation. It was no secret that FitzSimmons thought highly of her. And while Ward was sometimes even more unreadable than May, Coulson could see that the girl's S.O. also had a soft spot for her and trusted her more than he let on.

Coulson had been watching her place herself in more destructive positions, but he hadn't thought she had reached this level of thoughtlessness for her own life. She wasn't the type to risk herlsef for small reasons. There was always something, or really someone, on the line when she put herself in these positions.

She would survive this, if for no other reason than for him to throttle her himself for allowing herself to get hurt.

She don't hold onto nothin' new for very long  
>Yeah she writes you in as just one more tale<br>and then you're gone  
>'Cause she once fell hard 'cause she dropped her guard<br>And no one gets to stay

it's just too late

She had always kept everyone at arms-length, but he could tell that she was starting to let in Simmons, apart from himself. He was glad for that. There is only so far a person can go without someone to lean on, and Skye needed people to lean on, no matter how strong she thought herself to be.

Besides her van, this bus had been the place she had probably lived the longest. He knew that she had very little to her name, and dealt with loss better than most people. She dealt with many things better than most people. Unfortunately, her personal relationships had never gone very well, not even the boyfriend she thought she could trust more than anyone.

Coulson hoped that he had managed to win over her trust, even with the secrets he had kept from her. Seeing her in this situation, the life seeping out of her, he was very glad for having come clean with her on everything he and May had learned regarding her past. He wouldn't have to live with that over his head and he would rest easy knowing she knew and had come to peace with it, even if he hadn't.

For as much as she stumbled she's runnin'  
>For as much as she runs she's still here<br>Always hoping to find something quicker than Heaven  
>To make the damage of her days disappear<br>Just like Guinevere  
>Just like Guinevere<p>

Lean into me Guinevere  
>Be mine tonight Guinevere<p>

In the short time they had been in each other's lives he had begun to see her as the daughter he had never had. He wished he could tell her that. He wished he didn't play favorites with his team as well, but neither of these two things would be changing.

If only he could reach into this bubble they had put her in and take her hand, tell her they were taking care of her and that it would all be alright. He was here for her. She might not have any family to watch over her, but she had him, and he would be leaving any time soon.

For as much as she acted the strong brave woman, he could see past all that to the young woman just looking to find her place in the world. If he had anything to say about it, she would go farther than he had and make a name for herself. She would make it out of this situation and he would be by her side and protecting her for as long as he could, she wouldn't have to go it alone anymore.


	9. First Sight (Philinda)

**First Sight **

(Philinda)

**"Oh My Goodness" By: Olly Murs**

Oh my goodness, I can't hide it  
>You just smiled when you walked by me<br>Oh my goodness  
>Warning signs that no one showed me<br>Lost control, but please don't hold me back  
>Gonna go for it, I hope you're ready for it<br>Oh

Phil Coulson had been at the Academy for three month now and was finally getting his bearings. He could finally get through the halls without thinking they had made a mistake when they had accepted him. At first it had been tough going for him. He didn't fit in with all the stoic men and women around him. It seemed as if closed-off faces and stand-offish demeanors were pre-requisite for becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

While he was finally feeling more comfortable in his environment, he had yet to make any friends. He had classmates and people he would train with during the mandatory work-out sessions at the gym. He had been to a few parties here and there, but each time he went to one he usually wound up in one of the corners, nursing his beer and not speaking to anyone, and no one speaking to him either.

That is, until today.

Today he had been rushing to his next class and had bumped into another student; a female student. From her attire and manner, Phil guessed she was in her first year like him. But from the first moment he noticed her he could tell that she wasn't like the rest of his classmates. For one, she hadn't completely dismissed him because he had stumbled into her, and made them both lose all their books in the process.

Not only had she helped him pick up his things while she was getting hers, she had actually smiled at him as well. She had spread her lips to form a true and warm smile. At that moment he knew he was lost; she was gorgeous. There were no other words for him to use. His mind had become momentarily paralyzed, just as had his feet and the rest of his body.

If that one chance encounter had not been enough, they had crossed paths again in the cafeteria during lunch. He just could not believe his luck. He had gone from not having seen her even once, to having two wonderful encounters with the woman he had decided would one day become his wife.

He figured he had nothing to lose. Nobody had given him a second look at this place, not even his teachers. He had not only gotten to see this goddess twice, but both times she'd had a smile for him – and the second time he hadn't even had to barge into her. He counted that as a major win.

He had seen her sitting at the other end of the room and taken a deep breath. This was it. He would make his move. Quiet, nervous, Phil Coulson was going to talk to someone, a girl someone, for the first time since getting here, and all for the express purpose of socializing. He made his way across the room, his heart beating in his chest so fast that it threatened to jump out.

Cause I don't know if I can stop now  
>I'm going too fast, heart first<br>My head just can't slow me down  
>And I don't care if you don't break my fall<br>You got me dreaming of a life  
>That anybody else would die for <p>

Once his feet began moving in her direction, there was no stopping him. It was as if his body began ignoring all the warning signs his mind had started to send out. So many thoughts were going through his mind, but he knew he had to get to that table and speak to that girl. He knew his life would change from it, and he needed that like he needed water.

Approaching her was the easy part, but just as before his voice failed him. He had no idea what to say. He had lost the ability to even remember his own name. All that ran through his mind the moment he stopped before her was, 'pretty', and he was sure that would not have been the best way to make a good impression on his future bride.

Luckily, she took the need to speak first from him.

"Oh, hi, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. I'm Melinda May, nice to meet you."

He smiled; a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. It described her perfectly to him.

"Hi, I'm Phil, Phil Coulson, good to meet you too." He looked down, ashamed for his earlier behavior. "I'm sorry that I ran you down this morning. I was late and wasn't looking where I was going. I should have been more careful."

"Nonsense! I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I saw you coming and didn't even move out of your way."

Coulson frowned, "Why not?"

Now it was her turn to look down in embarrassment. Her cheeks tinged with pink. He didn't think he had ever seen anything cuter than Melinda May at that moment.

She looked back up and admitted to what she had been doing that morning.

"I have been kind of following you around for the past two weeks. We have Ops, Tactical and Intro to S&R together. You never noticed me and I wanted to test out a theory."

He was stunned. This beauty had been following him, and they had classes together. How had he never noticed her in any of them? He decided to ignore that little piece of information for the moment and became suspicious. Anytime anyone had wanted to test out anything on him before it had ended badly.

"What theory?"

She smiled in a mischievous way, "I wanted to see if it was just me you were avoiding in class or everyone."

He stared at her some more. She had noticed him in class. She had not only noticed, but had become so interested that she had set up a meeting with him just to see if he might be interested in her. He almost asked her to pinch him to make sure he was awake. He couldn't have been awake. Nothing this good ever happened to him.

"Uh," he said intelligently.

She looked on, still embarrassed by what she had just admitted to. 'And now I've gone and ruined it by saying all that. Maybe there is merit to staying quiet as my mother always told me,' she thought.

When he still didn't make a move she took it to mean he didn't want anything to do with her and began to move away. She collected the rest of her lunch and started to stand when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Please don't go." He looked almost pleadingly at her. "Would you like to have lunch with me? Maybe you can tell me some more about that theory you have about me?"

"You're not freaked out by Stalker!Melinda?" She was skeptical and hoped he wasn't pulling her leg.

He smiled and looked down. His other hand came to rub at his neck, slightly embarrassed to be about to say what he was thinking.

"I'm actually a little flattered. You're the first person to look at me twice in this place."

"That cannot be true. You're acing all your classes from what I can tell. Maybe people are just intimidated by you."

He had to chuckle at that thought. "I highly doubt that. Listen, let me just go get my things and I will be right back." 

She smiled and sat back down. "Sure. I'll be here."

I'm rolling downhill, no brakes  
>Can't go back now, it's too late, oh<br>It's too late to look away, and unfeel what I feel for you  
>Look away, and unsee what I see in you<br>I'm gonna go for it, I hope you're ready

The whole way back to his backpack all Phil could think was that smile. She smiled at him and talked to him. He knew that if anyone glanced his way they would see a grin plastered from ear to ear on his face, and there was no possible way for him to care less at their opinions. Melinda May had smiled and talked to him: Major win, even if he had just met her.

He rushed back on the off chance she had changed her mind in the interim, but thankfully he was greeted once more by her soft features. His inner Phil did a summersault at that.

All throughout lunch she he couldn't keep the stupid grin off his face, and from what he could tell she smiled the entire time as well, even laughing at his lamest jokes. '_There has to be something wrong with this girl,' _kept going through his mind. Still, they talked and discovered they had more in common than just some classes.

Cause I don't know if I can stop now  
>I'm going too fast, heart first<br>My head just can't slow me down  
>And I don't care if you don't break my fall<br>You got me dreaming of a life  
>That anybody else would die for<br>Oh baby, anybody else would die for

By the end of lunch he knew it would be up to him to make the next move. He had to man up, and that is when the sweaty palms and speechlessness hit him once more. He looked at her and there was no way he would let her leave without saying something, anything, to get her back again later.

And he would not have her save him from making the choice again. He was Phil Coulson! He could formulate a question to ask a girl out! Couldn't he?

"Thank you for keeping me company during lunch Phil. It was nice. Maybe next time we have a class you won't avoid _all_ of us." She told him as she picked up her things.

Too late for him to think any longer, it was time for the supposed Coulson strength his father had always told him about.

"Yes! It was great. Can I walk you out?"

His enthusiasm threw her for a moment, but she smiled nonetheless. "Sure. That'd be nice."

"Great."

He gathered his things and hers in his arms and led her out the door, one hand on the small of her back as he had always seen his father do for his mother. If it had worked for the old man, maybe it would work here as well. When she didn't pull away from him Phil did another summersault in his mind.

They walked out and she directed their path, taking them to the girls' dorms across the park. He knew his big moment was coming and he wished he wouldn't screw it up as he was wont to do. Just as they approached the door where they would definitely have to split paths he stopped and turned to face her.

"Here's my stop." She smiled at him.

He grinned back, in fear.

"Oh, yes. It appears so."

"So… See you in class?"

He simply nodded, unsure of what he should say, his tongue feeling weighed down by lead. Where had all his courage gone all of a sudden?

She nodded back, got her things from his arm, and started to move away from him once more. The sight of the back of her head leaving got him into gear. He reached out and grasped her elbow before she got too far and his chance was really ruined.

"Melinda, wait. Can I see you again, you know, like, for a meal or something? Not in class, I mean. Maybe for dinner? Or drinks? Or whatever, you know?" He almost cringed at how desperate he sounded by the end of his seemingly never-ending questions.

Thankfully she wasn't nearly as embarrassed as he was. From what Phil could tell, she might have even seemed a bit relieved.

"I'll let you know." She smirked slyly and walked away once more.

It wasn't a yes, but also not a no. And from the sly grin, and the skip to her step, Phil thought he might have a chance after all. Oh yeah, one more win!

At the first sight of her he had fallen in love. There had been no looking back, no other choice, no other girl for him from then on out. Melinda May might not yet have known it, but should was going to be in for a lot of Phil Coulson in her future.

First sight I believed in first sight,  
>No second thoughts in my mind, just felt right<br>Oh my goodness, oh

Unbeknownst to Phil, as Melinda went into her room she ran to her window which, thankfully at this moment, overlooked the park, and looked on as Phil jumped and wooped like a fool. She smiled broader than when she had been as she came in the room. Sure, she had let him think he had been in control of that last encounter in the lunchroom; just as she would let him think it was his idea when he takes her to the pizza place across town on their next free weekend.

He might have been hooked on her the second he saw her this morning, but from the moment she had noticed him in class months ago she knew there was something special about him. Behind that shy boy there was likely to be a very strong and intelligent man. She just had to be patient for him to come out, and boy could she be patient when she wanted to.

'_Just wait and see, Phil Coulson, if we don't become the next best thing to come out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'_

Cause I don't know if I can stop now  
>I'm going too fast, heart first<br>My head just can't slow me down  
>And I don't care if you don't break my fall<br>You got me dreaming of a life  
>That anybody else would die for<br>You got me dreaming of a life  
>That anybody else would die for<br>Anybody else would die for


	10. He'ss Free (Grant Ward)

**He's Free**

(Grant Ward)

"**Runaway" By: Love and Theft**

It's been a long week  
>I've got a slow leak in my left front tire<br>I'm sick of where I work  
>My boss is such a jerk, don't care if I get fired <p>

Ward looked out window of the plane on the way to Cuba. He and Garret had secured the plane and soon it would touch down. They would be meeting up with the rest of the team to storm the premises. While he doubted Coulson would be finding out right away, he was pretty sure that this was really it. He wouldn't be going back to the makeshift team he had been a part of these last months. Finally he was done with them

My back's about to break  
>No money in the bank<br>And she don't call me anymore  
>I'm down to my last drink, it's time to sell my things<p>

From this point forward, he was back to who he was supposed to be with no more turning back. Anything he had imagined as a possible future for him and Skye was definitely not possible anymore. He was well and truly done with that team from hell. He never had to work with those pansies again, thank god.

He didn't think he could take another of those science idiots' meltdowns because someone touched their precious holotable. Nor could he stand to get put down by miss high and mighty Cavalry – legend or not, she wasn't all that hot.

And pack my bags and never look back  
>Run a parallel line with the railroad tracks<br>And make my getaway

I'll put the pedal to the metal as the sun goes down  
>Leave everybody sleepin' in this sleepy town tonight<br>At the break of day  
>I'll be a runaway<p>

Garret had once again saved him from the madness that his life was becoming. Of course, this latest madness had been his fault as well, but he'd get back to that later. Right now all Ward could see was the blue horizon before him and the freedom from the oppressive organization that was S.H.I.E.L.D.

This time tomorrow he could be relaxing on some deserted beach awaiting their next move. Or if he wanted, he could grab another flight to Miami and await the completion of the new installations while sipping his bear on some boat on the Bay.

A hundred miles in, I got a stupid grin  
>On my scruffy face<br>With every cigarette I'm burnin' my regrets  
>Don't want to leave a trace<p>

And from the rearview, I've got clear view  
>Of who I used to be<br>A little bit faster now  
>Don't wanna turn around<p>

He schooled his features as soon as he realized there was a smile on his face. It wouldn't do to get caught up on it all now. He had a job to finish first. Tomorrow was a different story. There was time enough to think about tomorrow later. But he was free.

I'm gonna pack my bags and never look back  
>Run a parallel line with the railroad tracks<br>And make my getaway 


End file.
